Rides and Cars

For many of us, cars and rides are the same thing. A car equals transportation, and life without one is a hassle. The first time behind the wheel is a shot of freedom. Four wheels and a steering wheel equal independence, the autonomy of adulthood. It’s a romanticism that begins early, in the years before our first license. A car carries the promise of coming and going at will, an agent of opportunity, and every ride is a chance to move, go somewhere new, explore.

But these days that story is changing. Cars and rides are splitting up, going separate ways, and as it happens the car is returning to its origins — just four wheels, aluminum, glass and steel. Rides, it turns out, are the real agents of opportunity and independence.

Rides matter. With a ride, you can get anywhere — the grocery store, a friend’s house, a restaurant, the airport. With a ride you can see friends, visit family, explore the countryside, watch a show. Cars used to be a necessary part of that equation, pretty much the only reasonable way to navigate from point A to point B, but that’s no longer true. The world has changed. The ride is now more important than the car. The ride has come into its own.

And there are countless ways to ride. Maybe a bus makes sense, or a train. Or maybe you live near a subway line. Or you call a taxi. Or an Uber. Or a Lyft. Regardless of how you do it, the magic is no longer tied to owning your own automobile. There are options. Rides come in all kinds.

At ITNAmerica, we do rides catered to older and visually impaired people. Our service in some ways is like the other ride offerings — we’ll pick you up anywhere, take you anywhere and no cash changes hands — but in other ways our rides are unique. ITNs, for example, offer arm-through-arm, door-through-door service. Our drivers don’t wait out at the curb for you. They come to your doorstep. And they offer a stabilizing arm for the walk. They carry packages, fold walkers, and they do not accept tips.

We also have innovative programs to ensure rides are affordable and membership is attainable. Volunteer credits, for example make it easy to earn miles in your driving years that can be redeemed as you transition from the driver’s seat to a passenger. It’s a program we call Transportation Social Security, and it’s there to support you. Our CarTrade program, meanwhile, transforms a former tool of steel and chrome into mobility miles today by helping riders trade the cars they no longer drive to help pay for their rides.

That’s the power of ITN. Ride services may be everywhere, but not all of them are tailored to you and your needs. Not all of them offer innovations and programs that allow a one-stop resource for mobility. ITN has been giving rides for more than 20 years, long before they were ever seen as separate from cars. Need to go places? We can help.

Yes, C, absolutely. Arm-through-arm means our drivers offer a stabilizing arm to help steady the walk from your home to the car. Door-through-door means we’ll come inside to meet you and offer support until you’re seated in the passenger seat. Drivers also help carry packages, groceries, deal with walkers, canes, etc. If you need a helping hand, they are ready to assist. That’s what ITNs are all about — recognizing the needs of our riders and meeting them.